Teagasc Supporting Artisan Food Producers

The Teagasc food research programme supports food companies to develop and innovate. Teagasc artisan food specialist, Eddie O Neill, who is based in Teagasc Moorepark, highlighted the opportunities for start-up, or existing food companies, to avail of the expertise and facilities in Teagasc.

At the dairy open day, Moorepark ’19, which is taking place in Fermoy, today, Wednesday, 3 July, three Irish food companies are exhibiting to show what Irish food entrepreneurs can achieve.

Eddie O Neill said; “Teagasc has worked closely with these companies, Bo Rua,  Freezin Freisians, Killowen Yogurts, and we are delighted that they are here today to showcase their products to dairy farmers from all over the country.”

Bo Rua

Tom and Norma Dineen have just invested €300,000 in a modern farmhouse cheese facility at Ballynoe near Fermoy in County Cork. Their cheese was developed with the support of two Innovation Vouchers in Moorepark Technology Limited (MTL) and already is an award winner at home and abroad. Tom and Norma Dineen now hope to increase production capacity and will look toward exporting their cheeses.

Freezin Freisians

The Kiersey family from County Waterford approached Teagasc with an idea for producing rolled ice cream from their own milk. The initial ice cream product was developed in MTL under an Innovation Voucher and work is continuing to produce a tub version of the product. The Kiersey family intend to construct a small on farm facility later in the year, and to expand the business.

Killowen Yogurts

Teagasc has worked for many years with Killowen and the company is going from strength to strength. They have previously been awarded gold stars at the great taste awards. Eddie O Neill of Teagasc has just finished a series of trials in MTL, manufacturing a clean label cream cheese for the export market which will be manufactured by Killowen in Wexford in a new on site facility. Killowen have also expressed an interest in trying to attain carbon neutral status over the next five years.

Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland provide support for businesses through an innovation voucher system.